2024 And Beyond.
When I first started running, the purpose was not very clear. It must have been that my mind wasn’t very clear and naturally with the experience that I had with going on runs, I gravitated towards endurance running as an outlet for the things that were on my mind. At the same time, going through major changes, new to parenthood, new to owning a home, new to marriage, and a life of many responsibilities from not having many prior. The more I ran, the more the purpose became clear. It was to face change, head-on, something that I always had fear of doing and would avoid in the past.
As I ran more and more, and to this day, I realize well that the challenges that change present to us will always exist. We start at 0 every day and will be in situations that are different from yesterday. It’s simple to avoid them and stay in our comfort zone. It’s more challenging to grow, to face the change with a mindset that is prepared for it and vulnerable enough to allow the changes we go through to help us grow. As the parable from The Wealthy Gardener reads ‘we can change what we are doing, or we keep what we have’. Growth sprouts from change and is most effective when we face what we fear.
The clarity that I developed from the hours and miles of running has made me realize that this change is my growth path. . We can keep what we have and fight our ambitions and suffer or we can use our ambitions to be the best version of ourselves every single day. When we see the compounding effects of our efforts, it is worth it. We have to trust the process, and focus on our efforts, not results. And always remember, there are no guarantees.
2024 is a year that I am committing to compounding efforts every single day and giving 1% more to my daily contributions. Staying far away from comfort and close to discomfort. Believing in the process. This year’s first organized run was a half marathon that was planned on a family trip to Disney World with my wife and kids, who have been responsible for all of my growth as a father, a husband, and a man. I thought for a moment about resolutions as 2023 was coming to an end and immediately shifted to a more comprehensive approach on goal setting with a deep focus on systems that will lead me to better habits.
Our trip to Disney as a family was a magical one! My sister joined with her kids and Disney was vibrant as usual! People flew from everywhere, some coming down for decades to the Run Disney week that starts the year with a bang, full of determined minds setting the year right and high energy! The term of the trip was ‘Dopey Challenge’ which I did not understand until I was down there and realized the dedication that people put into this event. I’m not ready for that although it would be a cool challenge for the future. We were on vacation more than anything else and just happened to fit in an organized run with little training ahead of time. We’re thankful that the half marathon course got cut the night before due to weather, cutting the run down to 7 miles! Although, the run did more for my mental toughness than I ever would have imagined! To start, regardless of the mileage, I had never woken up in the middle of the night, 3:15 AM for anything other than driving Adriana for the birth of our son Luca! I couldn't fully comprehend how on my third day of our Disney vacation, I would wake up at 3:15 AM, run 7 miles, and then come back for a day in the parks with the family. That wound up being the best day of the whole trip! We got Nicolas on the Star Wars Galaxy Edge ride that he was way under height for and was very brave for, went on a safari, saw a few live shows, and closed out the park with a ride on Avatar!
At the time, I was reading the Short Form of Atomic Habits by James Clear and began to engage more with my daily systems, my environment, my cues, my triggers, and my overall habits. I then began to read Compounding Effects, by Darren Hardy, and learned about the 1% more that we can focus our days on. Compounding small efforts that generate transformative outcomes. I then came across a blog emailed to me that mentioned a 75hard challenge that seemed interesting so I clicked on it. It presented well and was fairly simple. The checklist required for the 75-day challenge were all things that I was doing more or less of already. The real challenge was time management. How can I check off two workouts a day totaling 90 minutes, and read a minimum of 10 pages daily?! The diet, no alcohol, no cheat meals, and water didn’t jump out at me so much although the 1 gallon of water has been the second most challenging part! That’s why it’s called 75hard! There was one option, set the alarm clock. Get up one hour earlier and get ahead in my days. Since the start (now day 50), I have been awake between 4 am and 4:30 am for six days out of the week and out the door for my outdoor workout in snow, sleet, rain, cold, and warm environments. That part I have not let up on. In other areas, I couldn’t say I’m scoring a perfect 100. My wife has been an integral part of the journey and was the reason I started in the beginning. She has since been on her very own record-setting streak of exercising after joining Orange Theory Fitness! She said to me one day when I was contemplating starting over for not hitting 1 gallon of water, ‘You should just continue forever’. In every endeavor that I’ve taken on, my wife has been the most supportive and I couldn’t find success in any of them without her in my life. What she said to me reminded me of a line that I read in Atomic Habits; we should be forming habits to last 50 years. The transformative results take time, it’s more than a 75-day challenge, it’s a lifestyle that changes the course of your life. Trust the process and enjoy every minute of it!
Here is a powerful message I read in Sahil Bloom’s weekly blog email that I am fortunate to receive and recommend to anyone looking for a path to self-improvement! “If success in any endeavor is found through consistency, through allowing compounding to work its magic, then staying in the game is the central goal.”
In case you’re wondering what I’m doing on the seventh day of the week when I’m not up at 4 AM, those are reserved for family outings. No compromises! Whether it’s a walk with my wife on a Sunday night or an outdoor event with the kids. The highlight has been the March 3rd 1-mile dash before the Staten Island St. Patrick’s Parade. It was a most memorable event with the entire family and I got to cross the finish with Nicolas! We had a blast.
We love you Grandma!
Next up is The NYC United half marathon on March 17. I’ll be back to share that experience!
